The invention relates to automobile security apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for restraining movement of the steering wheel of an automobile to reduce the risk of theft of the automobile.
The prior art includes various apparatus which are intended to secure the steering wheel of an automobile. Some such devices use fork members fixed to a telescoping shaft. The telescoping shaft is extended to provide an engagement of the fork members with diametrically opposed portions of the steering wheel. Typically, the shaft will have a length that is substantially greater than the diameter of the steering wheel. The intent of such apparatus is that if a thief attempts to steal the vehicle, the relatively long shaft will prevent rotation of the steering wheel sufficiently to make the vehicle usable.
Other prior art devices provide a connection between the steering wheel and the brake pedal. Typically, these devices also use two U-shaped members which engage the foot pedal and a portion of the rim of the steering wheel. In such structures, typically a telescoping shaft has two U-shaped portions. In operation, the user will draw the two U-shaped shaped members snugly against the arm in which the brake pedal is carried and the rim of the steering wheel. This arrangement is intended to deny a potential thief the opportunity to move the steering wheel and also the opportunity to apply brake pedal pressure.
A major deficiency of such prior art locking apparatus is that the rim of a typical steering wheel is made from a plastic resin material. Such material may easily by cut and is therefore very easy for a thief to merely cut an arcuate portion of the steering wheel rim out of the steering wheel, disengage the lock and proceed with the theft of the automobile.